Palmerston

Northern Territory · Northern Territory - Outback · 37,044 people · 36 suburbs · 4 postcodes

Palmerston at a glance

37,044
Population
#2 of 17 in NT
52
km² area
712/km² density
31.3
Median age
-2.3 vs NT
998
SEIFA IRSAD
#4 of 17 in NT
16
Schools
10 gov, 4 Cath, 2 indep
22.1%
Born overseas
45.9%
Renting

Map shows the Palmerston LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.

Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: ● 1-2 (most disadvantaged), ● 3-4, ● 5-6, ● 7-8, ● 9-10 (most advantaged).

Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.

Federal electorate boundaries can be toggled on the map. Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021 CED boundaries.

Palmerston is a Local Government Area in Northern Territory, in the Darwin region. It covers 36 suburbs across 4 postcodes and an area of 52 km². Palmerston has a population of 37,044 , ranking #2 most populous in NT. The most populous suburb is Zuccoli (4,131 residents).About 22.1% of residents were born overseas and 17.9% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (25.3%) 15–24 (12.8%) 25–44 (34.8%) 45–64 (20.7%) 65+ (6.4%)
Show counts
0–14 years9,363 (25.3%)
15–24 years4,743 (12.8%)
25–44 years12,897 (34.8%)
45–64 years7,651 (20.7%)
65+ years2,389 (6.4%)
22.1%
Born overseas
17.9%
Speak a language other than English at home
13.0%
First Nations
2.8
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (9.9%) Mortgaged (44.2%) Renting (45.9%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (82.5%) Semi/townhouse (7.3%) Flat/apartment (10.2%)
$409
Median weekly rent
$2,029
Median monthly mortgage
36.3%
Households with 0-1 cars
63.7%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

4.3%
Unemployment rate
13,422
In full-time work
4,398
In part-time work

Schools in Palmerston

16 schools across Palmerston: 62.5% Government, 25.0% Catholic, 12.5% Independent. The NT average is 78.8% / 9.2% / 12.0%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 952 (range 493 to 1027). NT median is 778; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

NT average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (62.5%) Secondary (18.8%) Combined (12.5%) Special (6.2%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 952 NT median 778LGA range 493 to 1027

ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.

All 16 schools in Palmerston, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Palmerston College Government Secondary Driver 1,267 884
MacKillop Catholic College Catholic Secondary Johnston 795 1001
Bakewell Primary School Government Primary Bakewell 616 978
Zuccoli Primary School Government Primary Zuccoli 537 989
Durack Primary School Government Primary Durack 474 1017
Driver Primary School Government Primary Driver 409 914
Mother Teresa Catholic Primary School Catholic Primary Zuccoli 379 1027
Palmerston Christian College Independent Combined Marlow Lagoon 365 1008
Rosebery Primary School Government Primary Rosebery 349 964
Woodroffe Primary School Government Primary Woodroffe 327 842
Gray Primary School Government Primary Gray 283 808
Moulden Primary School Government Primary Moulden 211 753
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Catholic Primary Woodroffe 165 983
Forrest Parade School Government Special Bellamack 118 939
Xavier Catholic College Catholic Secondary Bathurst Island 92 636
Mapuru Yirralka College Independent Combined Mapuru 26 493

Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.

SEIFA socio-economic indexes

SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Palmerston. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

998
Ranked #4 of 17 NT LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

1009

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

992

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

972

Suburbs in Palmerston

Palmerston contains 36 suburbs and 4 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Zuccoli 0832 4,131 $2,682/wk 28
Rosebery 0832 4,127 $2,397/wk 30
Durack 0830 3,730 $2,471/wk 31
Woodroffe 0830 3,175 $1,891/wk 33
Gray 0830 3,142 $1,479/wk 34
Bakewell 0832 3,091 $1,955/wk 32
Moulden 0830 3,053 $1,515/wk 33
Driver 0830 2,747 $1,984/wk 33
Gunn 0832 2,564 $2,485/wk 31
Bellamack 0832 2,423 $2,331/wk 29
Johnston 0832 2,386 $2,254/wk 28
Farrar 0830 1,650 $2,573/wk 32
Marlow Lagoon 0830 754 $3,630/wk 39
Yarrawonga 0830 49 $780/wk 59
Pinelands 0829 19 $1,187/wk 58
Archer 0830 3 $1,649/wk 57
Annie River 0822
Bathurst Island 0822
Border Store 0822
Croker Island 0822
Delissaville 0822
Fleming 0822
Goulbourn Island 0822
Goulburn Island 0822
Hayes Creek 0822
Mapuru 0822
Mickett Creek 0822
Mitchell 0832
Nguiu 0822
Oenpelli 0822
Point Stephens 0822
Pularumpi 0822
Pulumpa 0822
Rosebery Heights 0832
Sandpalms Roadhouse 0822
Woolaning 0822

Postcodes covered

0822, 0829, 0830, 0832

Compare Palmerston with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Palmerston and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA Population Median age SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Palmerston (NT) 37,044 31.3 998 45.9% 22.1%
Unincorporated NT 2,183 42.6 938 51.0% 18.5%
West Arnhem 6,279 28.1 731 95.9% 4.3%
Litchfield 21,395 39.6 1001 18.6% 13.0%
Darwin 81,243 35.1 1037 50.5% 34.3%
Coomalie 1,269 49.8 900 29.1% 13.6%

Services and amenities

Climate & weather Climate data for Zuccoli

Frequently asked questions about Palmerston

What is the population of Palmerston?

The 2021 Census recorded 37,044 people living in Palmerston, across 36 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Palmerston?

Palmerston contains 36 suburbs. The most populous are Zuccoli, Rosebery, Durack, Woodroffe, Gray.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Palmerston?

Palmerston covers 4 postcodes: 0822, 0829, 0830, 0832.

How many schools are in Palmerston?

Palmerston has 16 schools, including 10 government, 4 Catholic, and 2 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Palmerston?

Palmerston has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 998, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.